These big screens are key to the London 2012 vision for making them 'everyone's 2012' as they'll play host to lots of activity as well as being stage sites for entertainment. The conference was a great chance to see the screens in action with films, games and interactive culture. There were three screens in the city which were programmed by the conference using the BBC's Big Screens team.
The most fascinating moments included the chance for people to make the content on-screen - using everything from mobile phone keypads to your actual body, with cameras sensing your presence in front of the screen and importing your image into a 'second life' world on-screen. At times, you might see one hundred people hunched over their phones or groups running around the square in front of the screen watching what they were creating.
These screens can also let you take part by sending and receiving pictures and texts. They can be used to send local information and to show local films. Art projects, sports demonstrations, music events can all benefit and we saw many of these ways on display last week by people from every corner of the globe, all gathered in the North West of England, in large or small groups all gathered in front of screens day and night for four days.
It was a great, fun way to learn more about a communication, participation and involving form of technology which will be at the heart of the public sport, art, education and culture programme for the Cultural Olympiad from the moment of Handovers next August and September onwards for four years.
Also in Manchester were some of the team including the Creative Programmers who will be soon starting to bring together people and organisations from every region in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. They'll be looking for the best way to get the communitiies of the UK to develop cultural activity at Live Sites as, we hope, will many sports organisations and education projects. Look out here for news of when and how to come up with ideas for your community that take the Olympic and Paralympic values and translate them into great activities at the heart of our communities.
Just to ram it home, I then left the Manchester party behind on Saturday to go to France so had the possibly even more interesting experience of being in a crowd at a big screen in a city square watching England v France as the only Englishman amongst the thousands of French. I didn't say too much due to my wife's hand over my mouth and our fellow French viewers were similarly muted as Johnny's boot once again worked its wonders. I'll certainly remember where I was that night!
So, great screens and great projects, great events and great company - that's what we want everyone to enjoy in 2012. We look forward to your ideas soon! Look out for more information here over the coming months.
